There's no reason to think the Draft lottery is rigged, people!
There's absolutely nothing suspicious about Chicago, with a 1.7% chance, winning the rights to select Chicagoan Derrick Rose! Just like there was nothing suspicious about Cleveland winning the LeBron lottery or NY winning the Ewing lottery!

If memory serves, the Bulls taking Rose #1 (or any team for that matter) was anything but a lock when the lottery happened. Beasley was very much in the running to be the #1 pick.

almost every year people say this thing is rigged. and they probably are right, unless they're not. it's fun to think so.

cavs draft Irving at #1 and pray that either Kanter or DWilliams falls to #4. Not that big of a deal if they have to settle for one of the V's. I think Vesely is gonna be really good, would fit well in Cleveland.

There's one thing the NBA can do, but they won't. Show the video coverage of the actual ping pong ball results AFTER the lottery results are announced. No harm in showing us what really happened. I can understand wanting to keep the surprise leading up to the final results, but afterwards... show the world how it went down!

OKC didnt win the Blake Griffin lottery either. Boston whom everyone said was going to end up with Greg Oden or Kevin Durant didnt. People need to stop these horrible conspiracy theories.

Yeah, because if the NBA was rigging the lottery they'd make it plainly obvious every year...lol. That's just simple minded thinking. If a conspiracy is going on, the conspirators won't want it to be obvious. I'm not saying the lottery is rigged for certain, but it's quite suspicious. There's a 98.3% chance Chicago didn't win a legitimate lottery for the #1 pick in 2008.

Yeah, because if the NBA was rigging the lottery they'd make it plainly obvious every year...lol. That's just simple minded thinking. If a conspiracy is going on, the conspirators won't want it to be obvious. I'm not saying the lottery is rigged for certain, but it's quite suspicious. There's a 98.3% chance Chicago didn't win a legitimate lottery for the #1 pick in 2008.

Conspiracy theories have to have a pattern. The league hasnt favored small teams or big teams or made sure a player goes to his hometown. And as Derza points out there was a ton of speculation that Chicago would draft Beasley because they had a glut of guards and needed a low post scorer to get over the whole Tyrus Thomas debacle.

Picking in the top 3 is also not a guarantee of success. The Hawks picked Marvin Williams at 2, Memphis picked Thabeet, Chicago picked Aldridge and traded him away. Kyrie Irving is a good prospect but he is not John Wall or Blake Griffin and he certainly isnt Lebron James and isnt going to rebuild Cleveland all on is own.

fairly confident there's conspiracy going on. not this year but pretty sure years past.

btw i hate everyone who just dismisses conspiracy saying that they're stupid and that conspiracies will never happen.

why not?

Just simply because there is not repeatable pattern. Some people are saying they gave No.1 to the Cavs just to slight the Clippers. Why would they then send Blake Griffin to the Clips just 2 years ago? The NBA lost a lot of TV viewership and ad dollars when both the Celtics and Lakers lost. The NBA doesnt play favorites at all. There may be individual people that may have vested interests(refs for example) but I dont see the league ganging up on a whole to favor certain teams.If it did somebody would definitely leak it out. You think when half the owners are suffering losses from the basketball operations would be ok with letting the league screw them out of the next superstar?

Not at all. Beasley came of a season that was even better than Durant's and was national player of the year. Its sad that people see the current Goofball version but the guy was a dominant player whose only issue was his height and that he was a more casual guy rather than a serious stand up guy like Rose. Rose meanwhile put up 14 points and 5 assists that season. He didnt have a good season at all till the Tournament and had a lot of people questioning whether he was a pure point guard because of his low assist numbers. It was by no means a slam dunk atleast early in the draft process.

Beasley was/is an undersized PF with serious maturity/characters issues. It hasn't been a shock that he's failed to live up to being the #2 pick. Rose was the clear #1 prospect in that draft.

In retrospect, Rose was obviously the #1 prospect, and Beasley was an undersized PF with character problems. And I'm not shocked that Beasley didn't live up to being the #2 pick either. But he was an absolute monster in college and I'm sure there were quite a few people who thought he was the #1 prospect in the draft, it wasn't nearly as clear as you're making it seem. Plus the Bulls did their due diligence on both players, and supposedly elected to choose Rose based on the interview process (among other things I'm sure). If they had decided before the draft that they were going to take Rose there would have been little to no reason to go through the process with both players, they could have just announced they were going to go with Rose and been done with it. But they didn't, and if it wasn't a lock that they were going to take him then it doesn't make sense that the NBA would have given the Bulls the #1 pick so they could draft a hometown kid.

Reasoning: Philadelphia appears to be shopping Iguodala hard this offseason for several reasons. First is his contract. 4 years 14 mil a year for a guy who isn’t a #1. 2nd he’s given statements of wanting to leave the team. Lastly the fit isn’t great. The franchise is committed towards moving on with Evan Turner who is too similar of a player also Iguodala has been misused by Doug Collins who has been treating him like a #1 scorer instead of running the offense through Holiday and Brand. Doing this trade makes too much sense for both sides. For Philly the trade allows them to start their nice young trio for the future with Holiday at PG, Turner at SG, and Thaddeus Young at SF. Antawn Jamison gives them an immediate starting 4 beside Brand. Having followed the Wizards closely Collins will love Jamison’s veteran leadership and the fact that his contract only has half the years left that Iguodala’s has. The #4 overall pick also allows them to add a 5th piece to the young core if you include Lou Williams. This is a financial and youth move. As for the Cavs the value Iguodala brings them is beyond anything the #4 pick in this years draft would. I’ve always referred to Iguodala as a poor man’s LeBron and right now SF is the Cavs biggest weakness and no one at #4 is worth it. A lineup with Kyrie, Iguodala, Hickson, Varejao would at least be competitive on the on set.
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Reasoning: Minnesota needs a PG immediately more than anyone else. Even if Rubio does come over this year he’s not ready to be a full time PG. Devin Harris is the perfect bridge as he’s a solid PG who is good enough to start for a couple years but you don’t have to hang on him as the PG of the future. For Utah Devin Harris becomes far too expensive of a backup with the drafting of Brandon Knight. They get back a young SF in training(Honeycutt) and get a big versatile scorer in Beasley. Flynn becomes the backup PG.
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Trade #3

Portland Receives:
#6 pick overall(Kemba Walker)

Washington Receives:
Nicholas Batum

Reasoning: With the emergence of Wesley Matthews, the trade for Gerald Wallace and still having Rudy Fernandez under contract, Batum is no longer thought of as untouchable. His role has decreased and it’s hard to imagine the Blazers giving him a contract next summer with so much money tied down to Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Gerald Wallace. I think at this point the Blazers need to turn their attention to keeping Oden next summer if he shows anything this coming season. This pick allows them to draft their PG of the future regardless of if they retain Andre Miller next year. Kemba would be great playing off of Roy. For Washington they would definitely be willing to move this pick for a veteran player. Batum is perfect for the Wizards. He’s young, plays defense, has a ton of potential and fit’s the teams #1 need which is a SF. They definitely wouldn’t find a SF with the #6 pick with the value of a Batum. If it’s down to Kawhi Leonard or Batum I’d take Batum.
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Reasoning: Chicago desperately needs a shooter to put beside Rose. Thompson is possibly the best pure shooter in the draft. Thompson could probably grab the starting SG spot day 1, his attitude and demeanor towards the game also fits in well with the Bulls. For the Knicks they need depth and youth infusion on that roster. They really like Jenkins but he’s a reach at #17. They get him at 28 and JuJuan Johnson a guy with his length and athleticism could play some center under D’Antoni.
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Reasoning: You have a supremely offensively talented big who also happens to be a horrendous rebounded. Makes sense to pair him with the best rebounded to come out since Paul Millsap. Farried’s rebounding, shot blocking and motor would be perfect for the Jazz. Also is great setting picks and rolling to the hoop with Deron Williams. Kris Humphries was a great story but no point in paying him 6+ mil a year when you can get more in a guy like Faried. For the Wizards the big key is the ability to swap picks in subsequent years which are projected to be stronger drafts. Trey Thompkins is also a big pickup and makes Andray Blatche expendable if anyone will take on his contract.
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Trade #6

Cleveland Receives:
#23 pick overall(Marshon Brooks)

Houston Receives:
Cleveland First round pick(Top 16 protected 2012, top 14 protected 2013, top 10 protected 2014, No protection 2015)
Reasoning: Cleveland needs a young SG bad. Brooks is a guy who is rising up draft boards fast. He has a freakish 7-2” wingspan and is one of the best pure scorers in the draft. He would be perfect running along with Kyrie as he can run some point and have Kyrie play off ball to ease the load. Houston doesn’t need the pick as they have several in this draft and get a future pick in hopefully a stronger draft.
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Reasoning: Lakers can’t make all 4 picks in the draft so any sort of move up would be smart. Shumpert is the perfect pick to possibly play PG in the triangle or SG. Great potential defensively and versatile on offense. The Nets get a promising enigmatic player in Richmond and a nice finesse four in Leuer to complement to interior strength of Faried.
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Trade #8

Minnesota Receive:
#50 overall(Malcolm Lee)

Philadelphia Receives:
2012 2nd round pick

Reasoning: Philly has their roster set and Minnesota could add a nice young SG. Malcolm Lee is a great value at this point in the draft. Nice defensive potential and has shown flashes of being a good scorer. Can also run a little point and in the long term could be a 6th man backup for both the PG and SG slots ala a Jamal Crawford type role.
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Trade #9

Washington Receives:
#50 pick overall(Bojan Bogdanovic)

Portland Receives:
Cash Considerations

Reasoning: Portland doesn’t have a free roster space, Washington grabs a guy to stash in Europe who has potential to be an impact player in this league down the line.
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New York Receives:
#58 overall(Greg Smith)

LA Lakers Receive:
Cash Considerations

Reasoning: Lakers don’t need to make another pick the Knicks could add another young player. Greg Smith lacks great skill and is highly inconsistent but he has a man’s body and has potential to be a beast in the post if you can coach him up properly.
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Below are some projected Depth Charts for some teams that were heavily involved in this mock:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected Utah Depth Chart:

Overall Assessment of Team: Wow if Brandon Knight could develop fairly quick this would be a team to watch in the league. The depth at every position is pretty ridiculous but more importantly with great young talent. This could easily be the next Grizzlies with Al Jefferson being the new Zach Randolph. A ton of pieces if you wanted to make a run at a star.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected Cleveland Depth Chart:

Overall Assessment of Team: Obviously still not a visually appealing team but with Irving running show the veteran leadership of Iggy and Verejao, and the development of Hickson it wouldn’t shock me if this roster was extremely competitive. Still need a SG and probably a 2012 lottery pick away from being good, but still there are some nice building blocks here and the addition of Irving and Iggy at least give the franchise marketable faces and more ticket sales.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected T’wolves Depth Chart:

Overall Assessment of Team: Things look much better in this picture. Still a SG away but at least you have a solid PG to bridge the gap between Rubio. And if you do get Rubio this year at least he isn’t thrusted into a starting spot which he isn’t ready for. I understand Williams and Love is a small front court but it gives you a ton of versatility. More than likely you’d have Williams at SF, Johnson at SG, Love and PF and Darko at center but regardless there is a ton you can do with this roster.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected 76ers Depth Chart:

Overall Assessment of Team: Maybe a slight downgrade in the immediate losing Iguodala but this sets up the 76ers for a bright future especially when Brand and Jamison’s contract’s are up. Kanter is a legit franchise bigman and this gives the 76ers one of the better young talented teams. Brand and Jamison will keep them in the playoff hunt in the immediate time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected Blazers Depth Chart:
PG: Andre Miller/Kemba Walker
SG: Wesley Matthews/Brandon Roy/Elliott Williams
SF: Gerald Wallace/Rudy Fernandez/Luke Babbitt
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge/Markief Morris
C: Marcus Camby/Greg Oden

Overall Assessment of Team: I like what I did here. Morris is a great backup for Aldridge. Getting Kemba is huge for the future with the uncertainty of Andre Miller and Brandon Roy. Overall this improves the Blazers in the post and at the PG position.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected Wizards Depth Chart:
PG: John Wall/Norris Cole
SG: Nick Young/Jordan Crawford/Othyus Jeffers
SF: Nicholas Batum/Rashard Lewis
PF: Andray Blatche/Trevor Booker/Trey Thompkins
C: Javale Mcgee/Kevin Seraphin

Overall Assessment of Team: More positive steps towards rebuilding. Batum provides the Wizards with a SF of the future that they wouldn’t get at the #6 overall pick. They bag a great backup to Wall as well as some nice moves for the future. Thompkins makes Blatche expendable if they can find a trade partner. Maybe a team like the Magic could take on Blatche for a future first and other compensation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Projected Knicks Depth Chart:
PG: Chauncey Bilups/Charles Jenkins
SG: Landry Fields/Toney Douglass
SF: Carmelo Anthony/Shawne Williams/Bill Walker
PF: Ronny Turiaf/JuJuan Johnson/Renaldo Balkman
C: Amare Stoudemire/Greg Smith

Overall Assessment of Team: Adding depth and talent was a top priority. Jenkins and Johnson are great fits as is Smith down the line.

Beasley was/is an undersized PF with serious maturity/characters issues. It hasn't been a shock that he's failed to live up to being the #2 pick. Rose was the clear #1 prospect in that draft.

Yeah I was pissed cuz the Heat had the worst record that year. I wanted a top 2 pick to get Rose or Beasley. But I was really hoping for 1 to get Rose. But hey if we got Rose, there would be no need for the Big 3. It worked itself out. However, I like what D-Unit said tho. There are a lot of conspiraces going around. And they are kinda warranted as some1 pointed out with people going to home towns, redemption stories, etc. I am not saying they are true, but there is an easy way to fix it. Show the ping pong thing actually happen. That would make the conspiracies shut up.....

I know Dalembart might leave through F/A(if he does expect maybe Thompson or even Whiteside to get a chance), but the Kings really need an upgrade at PG or SF/PF to be able to compete now(which is needed since we want to stay in Sacramento.) Sucks Kemba was selected 1 pick before, so I would hope we maybe try to trade up, or go with Trisan Thompson who can help at PF and potentialy SF. Thompson's offensive game is way ahead of Biyombo, and I would feel alot beter with him on the team.